Headless baby found in veld

Soshanguve police are puzzled by the discovery of a headless newly born
baby in veld at the weekend.

The gruesome discovery was made by a street vendor at 10am on Saturday.
He noticed the body wrapped in a shawl near the Bodibeng Library in
Block BB.

He alerted police who came to investigate. Police spokesman Warrant
officer Lolo Mangena said police were trying to trace the mother of the
child and possibly link her through DNA to the child.

"We are not sure of the sex of the child. Indications are it was a
stillborn baby," Mangena said.

In March, the Pretoria News reported that at least two foetuses a week
were being dumped under bridges, in pit toilets or in plastic bags in
the veld because of the prevalence of illegal abortions in north and
central Pretoria.

This was despite abortions being legal in the country and performed
freely at state hospitals to women who were up to 13 weeks pregnant.

This week, a 30-year-old Soshanguve woman is expected to appear in the
Soshanguve Magistrate's Court on a charge of murdering her newly born.

Three weeks ago, a passerby discovered the body of another newly born in
veld near Block KK.

The baby's lower body had been burnt. It is believed paraffin was used
to burn the baby.

Police investigations pointed to a woman living in Block P who had been
pregnant, but suddenly was no longer expecting, yet did not have a baby.

When police traced her, the suspect had already heard she was wanted by
police and fled to Winterveld, said Mangena.

"Police traced her to Winterveld after receiving information," he said.
Questioned by police, she apparently confessed the baby was hers and
said she had killed the baby because the father did not want to take
responsibility.

Mangena appealed to women who did not want to keep their babies to take
them to places of safety such as the Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa Place
of Safety where they could be cared for and possibly be adopted.
Investigations continue in both cases.
This article was originally published on page 4 of Pretoria
News on June 15, 2010